Guesting on The Chuck Shute Podcast, Firewind guitarist / founder Gus G. - who famously joined Ozzy Osbourne's band and stayed for eight years - revealed he was invited to audition for Megadeth in 2015 prior to Kiko Loureiro joining the band.
Gus: "During my time with Ozzy, actually, Megadeth reached out. I was still with Ozzy and they were looking for somebody, and I said, 'Well, I can't really leave Ozzy for that,' even though I'm a huge Megadeth fan. Back then, they were scouting guitar players, and then two weeks later, Kiko was in the band. I knew him and I thought he was a great fit. And in 2019... who else? Machine Head asked me to audition once. I'm not sure if I'm really made for being like a hired-gun kind of guy. I'm enjoying calling my own shots, I guess."
Gus recently shared a clip of himself playing his favourite Megadeth solo, from "Tornado Of Souls". Check it out below.
Firewind recently released a new single, "Fallen Angel", to be featured on their new studio album, Stand United, out March 1 via AFM. Guitarist / founder Gus G. has shared a guitar solo playthrough and breakdown below.
"'Fallen Angel' is a song about the eternal battle between good and evil, a song about the temptations of life," says Gus G. "There's been so many interpretations of all this. Working again with director Rainer 'ZIPP' Franze, we gave a biblical touch on the visuals and there's even some choreography going on, for your viewing pleasure. Musically, I feel there's a good balance of modern and classic metal elements which is where Firewind should be in 2024."
Stand United will be available as CD, LP Vinyl, digital formats and highly collectable bundles including an autographed card, a Firewind cat patch plus a ticket for the band's upcoming European tour with Masterplan (see all dates listed below). For every ticket bundle purchase, fans will also get the chance to win a Meet & Greet. The album pre-sale is underway here.
For more than twenty years, Firewind have enthralled heavy music fans with their exciting blend of hard rock and power metal. Razor-sharp riffs by guitar legend Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil), big hooks and solos meet the incredible vocal skills of charismatic singer Herbie Langhans (Avantasia, Radiant, Seventh Avenue, amongst others), who joined the band in 2019.
Their new offering, Stand United, features nine brand new songs produced with Dennis Ward (Magnum, Unisonic), as well as a cover of the 80s pop rock classic "Talking in Your Sleep", originally recorded by The Romantics but giving it a metal twist in the style of Firewind.
Their forthcoming, tenth studio album also bears testament to the band's sheer enthusiasm and lyrical topics that could not be more relevant. “I wouldn’t exactly call Stand United a classic concept album, but the album title indicates what we’re about thematically,” explains Gus G, who has also contributed with more lyric ideas on this one than any album before. “This world seems to be getting more and more out of balance, what with environmental disasters, the pandemic, the wars currently raging all over the globe. In such times, it’s more important than ever for mankind to stand close together instead of fighting each other. That’s what Stand United is about!”
This basic idea is also reflected in the cover artwork courtesy of Costin Chioreanu (Grave, Mayhem, among others). Says Gus: “I always loved the artwork of our debut album, which was based on a real hand painting. With Stand United being our tenth album, I wanted an equally authentic template and that’s how I came across Costin. The collage of faces on the cover represent war, greed, betrayal, but also love and unity, which are some of the album’s lyrical themes. I’m just as proud of the artwork as I am of the songs on our new album!”
Stand United tracklisting:
"Salvation Day"
"Stand United"
"Destiny Is Calling"
"The Power Lies Within"
"Come Undone"
"Fallen Angel"
"Chains"
"Land Of Chaos"
"Talking In Your Sleep"
"Days Of Grace"
"Come Undone" lyric video:
"Salvation Day" video:
Firewind is:
Gus G. (guitars)
Herbie Langhans (vocals)
Petros Christo (bass)
Jo Nunez (drums)
